The Bieber bus stop at the Charcoal Diner in Lower Macungie Township on Friday. (Melissa Krycia / THE MORNING CALL)

Bieber bus line owed its loyal customers a better end than the abrupt mid-day shutdown Friday that left some people without a ride home.

It was clear the company was struggling. If it knew the end was near, it should have said so, and gone out in orderly fashion.

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Bieber Transportation Group’s closure wasn’t shocking. Its routes to New York City and Philadelphia dwindled over the past few years while its debt mounted. It was booted from using the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan last year because of unpaid bills.

Customers should have known the Kutztown company could be on the verge of going out of business. Making a long-term commitment by purchasing many tickets in advance wouldn’t have been wise. But even the most cautious riders couldn’t have anticipated the doors would close with no warning at all, in the middle of a business day.

The Morning Call reported many riders were left stranded when Bieber announced an immediate but temporary shutdown, which was followed a few hours later with a notice that it had closed for good. Among those caught off guard were Easton Area Middle School students on a Blue Mountain ski trip Friday.

A new transportation plan introduced Wednesday morning would dedicate $534 million of federal, state and local funding to road improvements, bridge repairs and LANTA upgrades in the Lehigh Valley over the next four years.

On its website, biebergroup.com, the company said the last couple of runs Friday night to and from New York were canceled, as were the last runs to and from Philadelphia.

It’s always sad when a longtime business shuts its doors. Bieber had been in business for 72 years. It provided a crucial service to commuters and other travelers. Its regular trips allowed many people to work in New York and Philadelphia while living in the Lehigh Valley.

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But closing a bus line isn’t the same as closing a restaurant or a store. You can’t just turn off the lights without notice. That leaves people who rely on the service in a bind, whether it’s that day or the following days. Those people deserved better.